The O.C. – “The Best Chrismukkah Ever”
Original airdate 12/3/03
The first of The O.C.’s annual Chrismukkah episodes is like a little time capsule back to the halcyon days of 2003. Sammaire Armstrong hadn’t yet had that work on her lips which is so extreme that it affects her diction. Emo references were still at that brief intersection between “mainstream enough to be recognizable” and “obscure enough that Seth can still look like a music snob”. Rachel Bilson wasn’t in the regular cast, but Tate Donovan was. And we, as a society, didn’t yet know that Mischa Barton is sort of awful.
Seth Cohen, as the product of a mixed-faith marriage, merged Christmas and Hanukkah into a single “super-holiday”, Chrismukkah. It combines the best parts of both holidays, including “eight days of presents followed by one day of many presents”. And like Seinfeld’s Festivus, these days you can buy actual Chrismukkah cards. Seth Cohen is very happy right now.
